PHILLIES: Schwimer dealt to Blue Jays

CLEARWATER, Fla. — Mike Schwimer knew the Phillies had a glut of young relievers on the 40-man roster. He also knew that he and the organization had a difference of opinion about the circumstances that led to his being sent to Triple-A after making 35 relief appearances for the Phillies.

Yet, even though he considered the “miscommunication” between him and the club still to be an “open case,” he was not prepared when he was hailed from the bullpen in the middle of Saturday’s 8-3 loss to the Astros in the Grapefruit League opener and told by assistant general manager Scott Proefrock that he had been traded to the Toronto Blue Jays for young, raw first baseman Art Charles.

“Very surprised is my reaction,” Schwimer said of the change of spring-training address to the next town north (the Blue Jays train in Dunedin, Fla.). “This is a business. Everybody has to do what they think will make the team better. I respect their decision completely.”

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The tall right-hander went 2-1 with a 4.46 ERA in 35 games for the Phils last season, but had his time with the big club end oddly when he was demoted to Lehigh Valley. Schwimer said he was suffering from elbow soreness and that he should be placed of the disabled list (and collect a big-league paycheck). Although a grievance never was filed, apparently the issue isn’t settled yet.

Charles, 22, is a 6-6 left-handed hitter who had 13 HR in 212 ABs last season between Rookie ball and low-A. He also struck out 74 times, but drew 46 walks and had a .381 OBP despite a .236 average.

Schwimer was supposed to pitch the eighth inning Saturday, but was told abruptly not to warm up and Justin DeFratus instead pitched the final two innings.

“I absolutely loved my time with the Phillies,” Schwimer said. “If I wasn’t a Phillie, I would never have met my wife, so there are a lot of life things and a lot of both on and off the field that would never have happened if I wasn’t a Philadelphia Phillie.”

Asked if he would have handled the debate over his demotion last season differently, Schwimer said, “There are a lot of things I can’t get into with that. What I will say was there was definitely a disconnect in communication ... It was nothing personal against them, it was nothing personal against me.”

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There wasn’t a lot of bright spots in the opening game of the Grapefruit League for the Phils. Michael Young and Darin Ruf, whose defensive capabilities at third and left field, respectively, are under scrutiny, both committed fielding errors on textbook grounders.

One good thing was the mere presence of Chase Utley at second base. It was his first Grapefruit League action since 2010.

“It had been a few years since I played a spring training game on that field,” said Utley, who went from first to third on a hit by Ryan Howard in the opening inning. “It was exciting. It was a good first step.”

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The Phillies had three relievers — B.J. Rosenberg, Jeremy Horst and DeFratus — work two innings each, and all three struggled in their second inning of work.

If it seems odd to have relievers working multiple innings in late February, well, it is a different approach by Charlie Manuel and pitching coach Rich Dubee. The plan is to have the relievers prepared for multi-inning work in the regular season, something Manuel complained was an issue for his bullpen oftentimes in 2012.

“We’ve got to stretch those guys out,” Dubee said. “Plus it gives us a better look. You can fool us for an inning. You can get through an inning and come off with your chest out. Let’s see what you can do the second (inning).”